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When developers first started theorizing the modern era of virtual reality headsets, I’d wager that shooters were a big part of the design discussions. Most of the great shooters are first-person games, which naturally lends itself to VR, and motion controllers are a great fit for holding things like gun in your hands. They even have triggers on them, or can be enjoyed with a gamepad and still feel good — especially if the game is focused on a cockpit.

When the PSVR launched it came with Rigs, a fast-paced mech shooter that embodied a fake sport with multiple game modes, mech classes, weapon types, and more. It was incredibly fun, but the studio eventually got shut down. The first couple years of VR then were mostly marked by a flood of wave shooters that did little to inspire creativity.

Eventually, Onward released on Steam for Vive (and eventually Rift) to bring hardcore, military-simulation style gameplay to the VR market with slow-paced, realistic firefights that felt like something out of a Rainbow Six or Ghost Recon game. People ate it up.

When the PSVR got its PS Aim Controller, Farpoint, a single-player focused (although it has co-op and limited 1v1 modes) shooter about aliens and space came along with it. It’s a good game, but doesn’t really offer the same type of military simulation thrills. Bravo Team seemed like it might fill that void when it was shown during E3 last year, but that wasn’t the case at all.

Now we’ve got Firewall: Zero Hour from First Contact. ROM: Extraction wasn’t exactly the most robust VR shooter, so I was hesitant at first. But after playing Firewall twice (both at PSX and then again at a pre-E3 event) I’m extremely optimistic about its future.

“In terms of the core foundational aspect of what a team shooter is we aren’t reinventing the wheel, but we’re putting our own spin on it and we’re trying to do something interesting and unique through VR,” said Adam Orth, creative director at First Contact during an interview. “We want to have the most people playing our game, PSVR has the most headsets in the world, and there is a vacuum where this game needs to be. We saw that early on and based on the history our studio has of what we’ve made individually and together, as well as in VR, and what we wanted to accomplish tech-wise for a shooter, this was the project for us to do.”

Having played most of the other VR and non-VR shooters that Firewall owes its inspiration to, the impact that VR has on its design can’t be overstated. I’ve played Onward and Pavlov, I’ve played Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon, and I can say that Firewall feels about as grounded as fans of tactical team-based shooters have come to expect, but with added layers of immersion.

Not to mention using the PSVR’s Aim Controller just feels really really good. It was easily the highlight of playing through Farpoint and it adds so much to any

E McNeill is a name that will be familiar to any long-time VR fans. The solo indie developer was one of the first to release a full game on Samsung’s Gear VR all the way back in 2014, and he’s released a number of great strategy titles on a variety of headsets since. Next week his latest project, Astraeus, will launch on Rift and Vive, too.

Astraeus was a launch title for Oculus Go last month, and is McNeill’s fourth VR game. It’s a real-time strategy experience that the developer says is easy to learn but deep to master. You play as an AI controlling a mining ship. You’re tasked with building bases to lead other ships in an attempt to corner the market. The game began life as a prototype for the VR Developer Challenge and ended up winning first place with a $20,000 prize. Check it out in the trailer below.

It’s set to cost $14.99 on Rift and Vive, though it’ll be a little cheaper at launch with a 10% discount. The Steam version will also include a non-VR build.

Regular readers of UploadVR will know that Games Editor David Jagneaux isn’t much of a fan of cats. Fortunately, the feline balance on the editorial team is restored by yours truly (dogs are cool too, though!). That’s why Neko Atsume looks cuter than I can handle.

We reported this ridiculously adorable cat collector was getting a Japanese PSVR port last year, and now it’s officially available. A quick search of Twitter reveals that, yes, this is indeed the most important and most ‘DAAAAW’-worthy game to yet release for VR, and will undoubtedly push the platform forward into bold new territories.

Sadly there’s no word on if the game will be coming to the US and beyond just yet. That said, E3 is right around the corner and I think we can all agree this is probably the biggest announcement Sony could make for its headset at this year’s show.

A new production pipeline from NextVR for the NBA Finals promises higher quality streams for all viewers.

The streaming app is now available for most VR headsets, but Vive Pro and Samsung Odyssey owners have a major reason to put on their headsets throughout the NBA Finals featuring the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. Highlights from the games, presented by YouTube TV, will be the first to showcase some of the game-changing improvements we glimpsed at CES in January. The highlights will be available on the day following each finals game (Game 1 is tonight, which means tonight’s VR highlights will be available tomorrow.)

All VR headsets with NextVR are said to benefit from sharper textures from the new production pipeline, but the Odyssey and Vive Pro headsets will be able to show some of the best moments of the NBA Finals at a resolution that should reveal details nobody could see in VR before.

NextVR is one of the leaders when it comes to capturing reality and streaming it for people to experience around the world. Over the years the startup built out its streaming technology while capturing a variety of events from the NFL to U.S. Presidential Debates. Everything from camera placement and cameras themselves to the streaming technologies beaming live events to headsets around the world needed to be rethought with VR broadcasting in mind. While NextVR is a leader, only if all those elements come together in just the right way does it make sense to really put on a headset instead of watching something on TV.

With the NBA, NextVR places cameras courtside as well as in multiple spots near the hoops on both ends.

I was invited by @nextvr to check out how they broadcast an NBA game in VR. This first photo shows 3 separate camera rigs — 1 at the glass, 1 on the stanchion and one on the ground for on-camera commentary. Second photo is in the broadcast truck, third is the courtside camera. pic.twitter.com/VCvORjwHsw

— Ian :car: #AWE Hamilton (@hmltn) January 21, 2018

By reducing the game to some of its key moments — particularly when the players get up close to the cameras — it should make for a pretty pleasant viewing experience. The highlights will be free for all users.

NextVR hasn’t yet introduced 6 degrees of freedom to its broadcasts, but that is still in the works according to CEO David Cole, along with other updates to its streaming platform.

“There’s a lot more hardware on the horizon,” Cole said, referring to their plans to ship their streaming apps on most headsets going forward. “More advanced headsets slated to ship in the future will take even greater advantage of this new VR broadcast technology.”

If you decide to check out the highlights from the NBA Finals, let us know what you think down in the comments below! Visit the official NextVR website for more details.

Steam is hosting a VR MegaPack deal this weekend that includes four Steam VR games bundled together with a 50% discount — that’s four solid titles for just $29.99. The bundle includes Cosmic Trip, Blasters of the Universe, Darknet, and Home Improvisation: Furniture Sandbox.

What helps this deal pack stand out is that it’s actually got great variety. Cosmic Trip is a creative and unique real-time strategy game that’s played entirely in first-person. The disc-throwing mechanics are really fun and addictive.

Blasters of the Universe is perhaps the best “bullet hell” style wave shooter we’ve seen in VR yet, features retro-futuristic stylings with deep pink and purple designs. We really quite enjoyed it in our review.

Darknet is quite a bit different as the intricate puzzle game of the bunch where you play as a hacker and then, finally, the odd-one out is definitely Home Improvisation. In this one you get to build your own furniture and decorate a house. It’s a bit silly.

Overall this is a solid collection of titles — do you plan on picking it up? Let us know down in the comments below!

Celebrate the release of Deadpool 2 while earning free snacks with 7-Eleven’s location-based AR experience. With Deadpool 2 now in theatres, comic book fans are, naturally, completely obsessed with the foul-mouthed, fourth wall-breaking antihero. The highly-anticipated sequel currently sits at 4 stars on Rotten Tomatoes with an impressive $301 Million worldwide opening. The film managed

Can you really believe it’s E3 again? It feels like only yesterday we were packing our bags and heading down to LA for another week of games galore, and now we’re ready to do it all over again. This year’s show officially runs from June 12th – 14th, with a flurry of huge press conferences taking place in the days leading up (full schedule here).

VR hasn’t had a huge role to play at the show over the past few years, and we’re not expecting 2018 to be absolutely massive either. We do have our fingers crossed for at least a handful of big announcements though and, below, the Upload team has gathered together to have a go at guessing what some of them will be. We’ll be on the ground in LA to bring you all the latest from the show, so stay tuned: it’s going to be a fun week.

Jamie: Predicting Sony’s PSVR Megaton

If you think back VR’s presence at the last two E3s, both were defined by one big announcement from Sony. In 2016 it was the incredible reveal that Resident Evil 7 would be coming to the headset with full PSVR support. Then, in 2017, it was the shock trailer for Skyrim VR that had jaws hitting the floor. I think we all want Sony to keep that momentum going this year. The question is how?

Personally, I think Sony’s saving the reveal of No Man’s Sky’s VR support for the big show. Over the past few months developer Hello Games has been teasing a huge update for the game, No Man’s Sky Next, and dropped some huge hints that VR support may be included in it. The game may never be able to shake the stigma of its bare-bones launch back in 2016, but we’d still love to dive into its seemingly infinite universe of procedurally generated worlds, especially with the new multiplayer support. It could be big for PSVR.

Still, some might not consider that a ‘megaton’ announcement, but I think Sony could have some other tricks up its sleeve. After the success of Skyrim VR, there’s got to be renewed interest in porting PS3 titles to VR, and Sony’s own catalog is a great place to start. An Aim controller supported Resistance or Killzone VR trilogy collection would be an absolutely amazing announcement, as would any number of third-party collaborations.

Finally, we know that Sony likes to keep its finger on the pulse of the PC VR scene. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that, even with recent issues, Budget Cuts is on its way to PSVR and maybe The Forest is too. As David’s about to tell you, it’s really Sony’s show to lose.

David: Moss And Beat Saber To The Rescue

This E3 for the VR world it’s going to be all about the PSVR I think. Oculus has already told us that it’s not going to have as strong of a presence as year’s past with only a couple of games to show, Valve never makes

Saltash District Brownies and Guides earn the “first-ever” VR technology badge after helping design virtual environments for hospitalized children. Whether it be the Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, Brownies, Cub Scouts, or any of the various other outdoors programs, one aspect remains the same: it’s all about the badges. These awards are handed out based on

Today Blueprint Reality is announcing the release of MixCast 2.0, which is now available for download.

The biggest barrier to more people recording and streaming amazing mixed reality videos like this Beat Saber one is the equipment cost. Setting up lighting sources, multiple cameras, a green screen, potentially complex recording/streaming/other software, and getting it all to cooperate in harmony isn’t easy.

We’ve written extensively about the early days of mixed reality capture and the likes of LIV have certainly made it easier than before, but the issue remains that if you don’t have the room for a dedicated filming space with a green screen, you’re probably not doing mixed reality content right now. MixCast 2.0 wants to change that.

Using their special WildKey technology you no longer need a green screen to isolate subjects within a frame to remove backgrounds. The MixCast software also natively supports recording, streaming to most major stream platforms, and doing timelapse footage all from within the VR app.

“We’ve really worked on the ease-of-use aspects of MixCast for this release,” explained Blueprint Reality CEO and co-founder Tarrnie Williams in an email to UploadVR. “No experience is necessary, but those with an eye for cinematography will find it put to good use with MixCast 2.0.”

Williams goes on to explain that literally all you need to film mixed reality content like the shots in the above video using the program are a VR-ready PC, a PC VR headset like the Rift, Vive, or a Windows VR device, and a camera connected to your PC. Supposedly, that’s it. The MixCast 2.0 software is designed to do the rest with optional support for stuff like green screens, trackers, depth cameras, Intel RealSense, and capture cards.

Future plans for MixCast, according to Williams, include “deeper cinematography tools, distribution and output options, as well as adding support for more VR hardware and cameras. The most valuable features for us are the ones that our community is asking for.”

Quick side note: yes, this is the same company behind the charming little puzzle game, Awaken.

If you’re eager to give MixCast 2.0 a try for yourself, you can check it out at the official MixCast website and engage with developers and content creators over at the company’s Discord server.

Writing articles about teaser trailers that are basically just announcements of upcoming announcements is always frustrating. I don’t know enough about the game to really dive in with details, but I’d also be doing you all (our audience) a disservice by not letting you know about what’s to come.

So, yes, as the headline suggests Insomniac is working on another VR title. This will be the company’s fourth VR title after the critically-acclaimed Edge of Nowhere and The Unspoken, as well as the poorly-received Feral Rites. Pay attention to how, in the below video, not even Insomniac wants to talk about Feral Rites at all.

Honestly, that’s about all we know so far. They’re working on a VR game. Here is the Developer Spotlight video that just went live that shows them ever-so-briefly mention it at the end:

About all we’ve got to go on is that it will feature some sort of free-form locomotion system that lets players go wherever they want, according to a developer in the video. After that statement we see an office space full of people in Oculus Rift headsets reaching upwards with Touch controllers. This makes me think either some form of zero-G flight like Lone Echo and Space Junkies, or a swinging-focused game a la Windlands.

Platforms have not been announced yet and no one will confirm or deny if this is a Rift exclusive, but given the tease is coming from an Oculus video I’d wager that this is in fact another Rift exclusive like Insomniac’s past three VR games.

I wish I knew more, but I honestly don’t. We should be getting more details next week. I can confirm that after speaking with PR we know that this unnamed and unannounced project will not be shown at E3 and will not be releasing this year — it’s a 2019 title. So buckle up for lots of slow reveals.

What do you think of this news? Let us know down in the comments below!

Among many other possibilities, two of AR’s most promising use-cases are real-time collaboration and instructional experiences. San Francisco-based Scope AR has been working on both of these solutions for some time but, to take its work a step further, it’s now combining the two.

At today’s Augmented World Expo event, Scope AR announced that it was merging its Remote AR and WorkLink services. Remote AR is a collaboration app that allows users to video call colleagues and experts, broadcast a live feed of their surroundings and allow either user to virtually annotate and highlight points of interest using AR. Imagine fixing a car, for example, by phoning up the company that made it and having them point towards what you need to be looking at from across the world.

WorkLink, meanwhile, is somewhat similar, only it uses pre-made instructions. Using the platform, companies are able to build instructional AR videos that could, for example, guide you through setting up a new TV or installing a washing machine with 3D visualizations providing a clear guide of what you need to do.

By combining the two into one platform, Scope AR hopes to provide a more versatile experience for users. Experts will be able to ‘drop-in’ to the pre-built instructions to provide further assistance or assess a task completed using WorkLink instructions. Having a call with an expert just a few button presses away incase you have questions about setup could be incredibly useful.

The platform will be arriving on supported Scope AR platforms like ARKit and HoloLens in the coming weeks.

Google was one of the first to explore the potential of VR education with its Expeditions app, which let teachers take students on virtual field trips using the inexpensive Google Cardboard VR viewer. This week, though, Expeditions expands beyond VR and into the world of AR.

Google ran a pilot program for Expeditions AR last year, which then utilized the company’s Tango platform on the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro. A lot has happened since then, though. Namely, Tango has been replaced by ARCore on Android and iOS has its own alternative in Apple’s ARKit. Both represent a much more accessible means of bringing AR to smartphones and, this week, Google launched the full version of Expeditions AR for everyone.

Rather than field trips, Expeditions AR instead allows students to explore 3D models projected into the real world via a smartphone. There’s already a total of 100 AR tours covering a wide range of subjects from Geography to Biology. Students can watch volcanoes bursting to life and explore the human body with the help of a teacher guiding them through each experience. Unlike the VR component, there’s no need for a headset of any kind; the phone handles positional tracking, allowing you to walk around and lean into models.

Expeditions is a free app, though you will need an ARCore or ARKit supported smartphone to use the AR features.

Square Enix’s next VR experience isn’t what you’d expect, at least from a videogame company.

The publisher this week released a new app that explores the world of Japenese manga in VR. Named Tales of Wedding Rings VR, the app recreates an existing comic strip in VR, giving viewers the chance to step inside the medium for the first time with a mix of moving panels and fully 3D scenes that you can explore for yourself. It features full voice acting.

The story sees viewers follow Satou, a high school boy that joins his childhood friend, Hime, on an adventure into another world. In this new land, Hime becomes a princess that Satou marries, though in doing so learns he must marry four more princesses in order to defeat the Abyss King. Look, it’s manga, we didn’t write it, okay?

Tales of Wedding Rings VR is now available on the Oculus Rift via Home for $19.99 and supports the English language. A HTC Vive launch should be coming next month.

This is far from Square’s first experiment with VR. The company’s already published VR ports like Hitman Go and implemented optional features in games like Rise of the Tomb Raider. Last year it also released two original VR games in Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV and Million sen Arthur. We’re also hoping to see some new VR content from Square at E3 in the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

It’s hard to believe it’s VR’s first World Cup. Our little guy is all grown up! But will you be able to watch this year’s soccer action inside a headset? Yes, thanks to the BBC.

The organization this week announced that it will be showing 33 of the Russia 2018 matches inside a free VR 2018 World Cup app. The experience will give viewers their very own virtual hospitality box to watch matches as if they were there in person. If you tire of your comfy surroundings you’ll also be able to head down to the pitch and view the action from behind either of the two goals.

You can see a list of the games that BBC is set to show during the group stages here, though we don’t know which of the knockout games will be available in VR just yet. The tournament kicks off on June 14th and runs through to the final on Sunday, July 15th. That’s a lot of VR footie.

The app is set to launch ‘closer to the time’ on iOS and Android. It will also be coming to Gear VR, Oculus Go and PlayStation VR (PSVR). There’s bound to be other networks in other countries showing matches in VR, though we haven’t heard anything yet.

If you’d rather be playing in the world cup instead of watching it, you should also check out the upcoming update to VRFC that turns the game into Football Nation VR.

Oculus Venues launched today on Go and Gear VR as a gateway to live VR entertainment such as concerts, comedy shows, sports games, and more. However, unhappy users have been quick to point out that the app requires you to link a Facebook account before you can use it. Previously, all Oculus content such as the store, Oculus Rooms, multiplayer games, and any other social space has given you optional social networking linkage, but it’s never been required — even if the opt-out feature is buried sometimes.

This marks a first for the Facebook-owned VR company. We reached out to Oculus to get more information on why they made this decision and were sent the following response from an Oculus spokesperson:

“Oculus Venues is about coming together around shared interests, like music, sports or comedy. Just like when you attend an event in real life, part of the fun is meeting new people who share your interests, and by connecting your Facebook account, it’s easier to meet people you might like using the optional social context features in Venues. Facebook login also helps us to keep Venues safe, since people’s conduct is associated with their authentic identity.”

The impetus for the decision, reportedly, appears to be a focus on accountability, safety, and ease of connection. In theory it makes sense, you’d want people to represent themselves openly and fairly in VR to ensure a safe space for everyone involved. However it’s a stickier situation than it might have been in year’s past given privacy concerns with both Oculus hardware and Facebook’s data collection.

What do you think of the decision? Are you less likely to try Venues now? Let us know what you think down in the comments below!